REVIEW: Danish series ‘The Killing’ debuts on Topic in North America
Photo: The Killing stars Sofie Gråbøl and is now available on Topic. Photo courtesy of Topic / Provided by Falco Ink with permission.
The Killing (Forbrydelsen), a Danish TV series from a couple years ago, recently premiered on the Topic streaming service in North America. The murder mystery’s first season follows Detective Sarah Lund (Sofie Gråbøl) as she looks into the killing of a young girl. The case comes to her attention at a most auspicious time: Sarah is about to leave the country for Sweden, and this murder keeps her grounded and searching for answers.
The TV show is a solid entry in the police procedural subgenre. Sarah is an interesting protagonist, and the audience is able to view and appreciate aspects of both her personal and professional life. In the pilot episode, she is generally in a good spirt because of the pending move to Sweden. Her colleagues are throwing her goodbye parties, and her life seems headed into new, exciting directions. When the case of this young girl becomes apparent to her, one can sense that her mind is starting to change about leaving town.
It can take a while to understand the ins and outs of the characters in The Killing, but once relationships are established and responsibilities are doled out, the show finds a nice rhythm. The musical score accentuates the discoveries and mystery of the series, which is appreciated, and the acting from the ensemble is top-notch. Perhaps more than anything else, The Killing feels real and authentic, as if these detectives would actually be taking these steps in the real world. That’s no easy accomplishment because many homicide-based shows feel exaggerated or formulaic.
What exactly happened to the person at the center of this tragedy is the subject of the entire first season, which means this procedural can have slower bits as the clues begin to appear, and sometimes the material feels dated (those phones clearly put the time frame a decade ago). That said, The Killing is binge-worthy because each episode is left with a cliffhanger, and there are many competing theories about whodunnit.
Kudos to directors Kristoffer Nyholm and Fabian Wullenweber for their laser-focused storytelling, and double kudos to Gråbøl for an effective lead performance. Their collective efforts can get the pulse pumping and the questions swirling. Thankfully three seasons are now available on the Topic streaming service.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Killing (Forbrydelsen) stars Sofie Gråbøl and is now available on Topic in North America. Click here for more information.
